Answer Me This

By Simon McCormack

Some discouraging news for the Albuquerque Police Department. Which reality show got a dose of New Mexico flavor? What does an Albuquerque-based mining company hope to find in the Ortiz mountains? And police say they've caught the ______ bandits.

1) The number of officers in APD's ranks ...

a. Is lower than it's been in more than a decade

b. Is swelling, and APD officials are worried they don't have the budget to sustain the growth

c. Is lower than it was last year

d. Is just right

2) Which reality show gave a Santa Fe resident a chance to shine?

a. "Survivor"

b. "Iron Chef"

c. "America's Next Top Model"

d. "The Real World"

3) What are miners looking for in the Ortiz Mountains?

a. Gold

b. Silver

c. Copper

d. Saucy edible underwear

4) Which group of bandits do police think they've caught up to?

a. The lion-face bandits

b. The stinky-breath bandits

c. The fast-food bandits

d. The backpack bandits

ANSWERS

1). C. This year, APD has in its ranks 972 officers, down from the 998 police men and women it had in 2007. The department hopes to reach Mayor Martin Chavez' goal of 1,100 officers by Dec. 1. In its budget, APD has $1 million to spend on recruiting and maintaining its force.

2). B. Bobby Flay defeated Santa Fe's Martin Rios on the Sunday, April 20, episode of the Food Network's hit program which pits guest chefs against the show’s "Iron" chefs each week. Both contestants had 60 minutes to prepare five dishes using the secret ingredient: tomatoes.

3). A. Santa Fe Gold Corp. hopes to find around 2 million ounces of gold in the Ortiz Mountains 10 miles south of Madrid. The company has about two or three more years’ worth of research to do before it determines if mining the area makes financial sense.

4). D. Two of the five suspects said to be involved in a string of 23 robberies between Feb. 6 and March 19 were taken in by police last week. Police say the bandits stuffed money and other stolen goods into backpacks before making their escape from various fast-food restaurants, gas stations, game stores, adult video stores and pizza shops. The two suspects were arrested after police raided their apartment in Northwest Albuquerque and found a video game machine and other items believed to have been stolen during the robberies.